Excess body tissue can lead to pathological conditions and pain, especially when the excess tissue affects the nervous system. One common problem is the excess of bone tissue affecting the spinal cord, which causes Spinal Stenosis. Two of the most prominent conditions associated with excess bone growth are narrowing (stenosis) of the spinal canal resulting in a neurological deficit, and bulging or herniated disc, which are associated with osteophyte formation in the spinal canal.
A common treatment of Spinal Stenosis is a surgical procedure called corpectomy, which involves removing from all or part of the vertebral body any bone spurs pushing into the spinal cord, usually as a way to decompress the spinal cord and nerves to alleviate or treat the neurological deficit. As to a herniated disc, it is commonly treated with a surgical procedure called discectomy, during which herniated disc material that presses against the nerve root or spinal cord is removed.
These surgical procedures, and others, require a selective removal of certain tissue while not harming surrounding tissue that can be fragile or vulnerable to damage with harmful consequences, wherein the undesired tissue intended for removal can be located in positions that are difficult to reach. Additionally, the tissue that is intended for removal is commonly hard tissue such as bone, which requires special physical properties from the grinder.
There is thus a need in the art for surgical instruments that provides selective cutting of tissue in difficult locations, while mitigating the harm of damaging surrounding tissue.